Just a reminder that in recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week, MHAM is hosting the Celebrating Recovery education event on Tuesday, October 5 at the Ramada Plaza in Minneapolis. The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. We would love to see you there! If you register before October 5, admission is $15. At the door admission is $20. Your admission includes presentations, a Wellness Fair, a Steps To Wellness self-care kit, and lunch.

This will be a great event for individuals living with mental illnesses, their family members and friends, and mental health providers. Michael Trangle, MD will speak about holistic care and staying healthy and Minnesota 10 x 10 and the DIAMOND program. Kim Lutes will share her experiences with the mental health system and the importance of self-advocacy. Brain Doran will discuss ways in which family members and friends can support a loved one who is living with a mental illness. Brett Dumke will provide an overview of the brand new Steps to Wellness self-care kits. Ed Eide will give examples of how individuals can share their stories to influence public policy.

The Steps to Wellness kits have been developed with support from an educational grant from Lilly USA, LLC, a charitable contribution from Janssen, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceutical, Inc., a grant from Park Nicollet Foundation Healthy Community, and a grant from Pfizer Healthcare. The kits contain tools to help individuals manage their health and learn skills to advocate for themselves when working with medical professionals and social service providers. After the event, the kits will be available for order from the MHAM website.

Tickets to this event are still available. Please see the Celebrating Recovery page on our website to register online. Scholarships are available. To arrange for a scholarship, please contact Ed Eide at 612-843-4868, ext. 1 or edeide at mentalhealthmn.org.

By Brett Dumke, Education Coordinator

In a recent article in the journal of Preventing Chronic Disease, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the authors stressed the critical role of primary care providers (PCPs) in “bridging mental health and public health.”   With the shift of care from mental health specialists to primary care, mental health delivery within these settings can provide a central focus on prevention from early detection, and effective continuation of care. But as the article suggests, time constraints and financial disincentives to treat mental disorders limit the ability for PCPs to provide high-quality care for these types of health conditions.  Implementing an integrated or collaborative approach for PCPs can help ensure that high standards of care can be achieved.

One such approach has been implemented right here in Minnesota and is receiving national recognition. Leading the way for improving depression care in the primary care setting is the DIAMOND (Depression Improvement Across Minnesota, Offering a New Direction) program. Based upon the “IMPACT” study, the program was developed by the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) and supported by members representing area heath plans, medical groups, patients, employer groups, and purchasers. The program involves a collaborative effort involving the primary care physician, consulting psychiatrist, care manager, and other mental health specialists.  The care manager plays a pivotal role in managing the essential components of the program for each patient, while the patient has an active part in determining his or her care.

So far, the success of the program is encouraging. According to the ICSI website, of the participants that have been active in the program for six months, “43% are in remission, and an additional 17% have seen at least a 50% reduction in the severity of their depression. These results are 5-10 times better than for patients with depression treated under  ‘usual’ primary care.”  Along with effective treatment results, the initial cost of treatment under programs like this can expect to be offset by substantial long-term cost savings. To track the effectiveness of this program the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has provided a five-year grant to HealthPartners Research Foundation.

For more information on who is eligible for this program and what clinics are participating in this program, visit the ICSI website.